Kwaidan (The Criterion Collection)
by Masaki Kobayashi
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Actor: Kenjirô Ishiyama, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Ranko Akagi, Rentarô MikuniDirector: Masaki Kobayashi
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Yoshio Miyajima
Editor: Hisashi Sagara
Producer: Shigeru Wakatsuki
Writer: Lafcadio Hearn
Writer: Yôko Mizuki
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 125 minutes
Published: 2000-10-01
DVD Release Date: 2000-10-10
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of Kwaidan (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: A Meticulously Crafted Masterpiece that will Endure in the Annals of Japanese cinema....Horror or otherwise!
Summary: 5 Stars
When one thinks of Japanese horror in the U.S., there seems to be one stereo type that abound to most recent films. Ever wonder how the older, Japanese horror classics played out? Masaki Kobayashi's KWAIDAN (1965) gets the Criterion treatment and rightfully so; the film is a masterpiece in Japanese film-making. Black and White horror films that preceded it such as "The Innocents" and "The Uninvited" speculates and teases with the premise of the existence of ghosts, "Kwaidan", however, meets the spirit world head-on. It is a very effective rendition of terrifying reality. What would happen if the spirit world collided with the Samurai period?
Kwaidan consists of 4 episodes. Loosely based on the writings of Lafcadio Hearn; a folklorist of Greek-Irish ancestry who was naturalized as a Japanese citizen who renamed himself Yakumo Koizumi. Koizumi definitely embraced his adopted culture. If this film is any indication, the source material has no Western influence and definitely feels more geared towards Japanese than anywhere else. Kobayashi's direction takes the definitive style as if the audience is reading a book. The visuals unfurl with a style very similar to Japanese paintings of the historical periods from which the backdrop is set.
Black Hair
A poor ambitious young samurai (Rentaro Mikumi) divorces his beautiful, loving wife (Michiyo Aratama) to marry a wealthy lord's daughter (Michiyo Watanabe) for the promise of social prestige and fortune. Despite his newfound fortune, he discovers that wealth cannot buy you happiness and true love. He happily returns to their dilapidated house after his term had expired to find his ex-wife as beautiful as ever, her black hair as shiny and dark as before. He swears to never leave her side again for all eternity. Unbeknownst to the samurai, the meaning of eternity may prove to be something else...
The Woman of the Snow
A young woodcutter (Tatsuya Nakadai) is lost in a blizzard with his friend, Masaku. They take shelter in an old shack and sleep from exhaustion. When the young woodcutter awakens, he finds a mysterious ghost-like woman (Keiko Kishi) draining the life from his friend by blowing her icy breath into his mouth. Spotting him, the whitish phantom takes pity on him and spares his life, on the condition that he never tells a soul of what he had witnessed.
Years passed and the young woodcutter is happily married to a woman named Yuki. Praised by the village folk of her timeless beauty. He loves his wife so much, that he considers revealing his sinister secret to her...
HOICHI, the EARLESS
The tale centers on a blind musician (Katsuo Nakamura) who lives in a monastery. He specializes in the songs and sonnets about the Heike and Genji clans, whose burial grounds are a mere walking distance from the monastery. So well versed is Hoichi to these songs that it causes the spirits of the clan rise up to listen to his music. Hoichi is willing to do so since he is unaware that his regal audiences are the spirits of the dead clan. The head monk (Takashi Shimura) informs Hoichi that the unquiet ghosts will rip him to pieces if he continues to sing for them. The monks take steps to protect Hoichi from the spirits by writing the Holy scriptures all throughout his entire body.
IN A CUP OF TEA
This is a tale of "incomplete" storytelling as a writer discloses the saga of a samurai retainer (Kanemon Nakamura) who sees the reflection of another face within his cup of tea. That evening, that samurai is confronted by the phantom in a duel. The warrior soon learns that he is dealing with something not human. How does this encounter play out?
The film's strengths lie with his excellent storytelling. While it does revolve around the supernatural, it never loses its very human premise; Love and ambition, Trust and betrayal, commitment to an art, human neglect and laziness. The film is quite frightening, but not in the sense of "in your face horror" and cheap scares. The viewer must immerse himself to the character's point of view to truly appreciate "Kwaidan". I really loved the way it dealt with Japan's cultural, social and even political views at a certain period. The film's proceedings may feel like a "stage performance" at times but it never loses its sheer frightening aspect. Kobayashi has achieved something spectacular; from the film's elaborate costumes and set designs, the director certainly has made one successful (if subtle) blend of realism and stylization. He has definitely cemented the idea that beauty and sheer horror can coexist on one medium, and effectively complement each other with coherence.
Highly Recommended! [5 Stars]
Criterion sports a very impressive transfer in a 2.35 ratio Anamorphic Widescreen. Minor print damage is visible on some scenes but the color is radiant and the picture is sharp. Excellent subtitles with the original monaural Japanese track is used.
Description of Kwaidan (The Criterion Collection)
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